Turn the guest account on or off

If you want someone to have temporary access to your computer, you can create a guest account. People using the guest account can't install software or hardware, change settings, or create a password.
Because the guest account allows a user to log on to a network, browse the Internet, and shut down the computer, you should disable the guest account when it isn't being used.

Open User Accounts by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking User Accounts and Family Safety (or clicking User Accounts, if you are connected to a network domain), and then clicking User Accounts.

Click Manage another account. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Do one of the following:

If the guest account is off, click Guest, and then click Turn On.

If the guest account is on, click Guest, and then click Turn off the guest account.

If you need to let someone log on to your computer but you don't want them to have access to all of your files, you can create a guest account. Because the guest account allows a user to log on to a network, browse the Internet, and shut down the computer, you should disable the guest account when it isn't being used.

Note

These steps cannot be completed on Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, and Windows Vista Home Premium.

Open Local Users and Groups by clicking the Start button , typing lusrmgr.msc in the Search box, and then pressing ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.